CHAPTER 14: SURVEY OF PAUL’S LETTER TO THE PHILIPPIANS
PART 1: INTRODUCTION TO THE BOOK
Section 1: The Human Author of the Book of Philippians
The book of Philippians was written by Paul (1:1). Timothy was with Paul at the time
this letter was penned (1:1; 2:19-24).
Section 2: The Date and Setting of the Book of Philippians
Paul likely wrote this letter around AD 62. He was under house arrest in Rome at the
time it was written (1:12-14; 4:22), however, he hoped to be released soon and have a chance to
revisit Philippi (1:25, 27; 2:23-24). Paul also wrote Ephesians, Colossians, and Philemon during
this imprisonment.
Paul, Silas, Luke, and Timothy first came to Philippi around AD 51 on Paul’s second
missionary journey (see Acts 16). The first converts in Philippi were Lydia, a wealthy merchant
woman, and her household (Acts 16:13-15). The church at Philippi was the first in all of Europe.
The majority of the members of the church were Gentiles. Philippi was also the location where
Paul cast a demon out of a girl (Acts 16:16-21) and where Paul and Silas were arrested but set
free from prison after an earthquake (Acts 16:22-34).
After Paul left Philippi, the church remained loyal to him (unlike some other churches he
founded). The Philippian believers generously supported Paul financially. At times, they were
the only church to do so (4:15-16). In addition, they contributed abundantly for the needy
believers in Jerusalem (2 Corinthians 8:1-4).
When the Philippian Christians learned about Paul’s imprisonment in Rome, they sent
another contribution to him (4:10), delivered by a man named Epaphroditus (4:18) who
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ministered to Paul’s needs. In the process, Epaphroditus became very sick and almost died
(2:26-27). He risked his life to help Paul (2:30), so Paul sent him back to Philippi (2:28-29) and
sent the letter to the Philippian church with him.
Section 3: The Key Word in the Book of Philippians – Joy
Section 4: The Theme and Purpose of the Book of Philippians
The theme of the book of Philippians is the joy that believers have in the Lord. The
purpose of the book is to express Paul’s love and gratitude for the Philippian church and to
exhort them to a lifestyle of unity, holiness, and joy.
Section 5: The Outline of the Book of Philippians
1. Joyous Living (Chapter 1)
2. Joyous Thinking (Chapter 2)
3. Joyous Purpose (Chapter 3)
4. Joyous Power (Chapter 4)
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PART 2: CONTENT OF THE BOOK
Philippians 1:1-30 “Joyous Living”
Introduction (1-2)
1. Prayer for the Saints (3-11)
a. Thanksgiving (3-5)
i. “In all my remembrance of you” (3).
ii. “In every prayer of mine for you all” (4).
iii. “Because of your partnership in the gospel” (5).
b. Confidence (6-8)
i. In God’s ability to complete his work among the saints (6).
ii. In the partnership of the saints for the defense of the gospel (7).
iii. In Paul’s love for the saints (8).
c. Desire (9-11)
i. “That your love may abound…with knowledge and all discernment” (9).
ii. “That you may approve what is excellent, and so be pure” (10).
iii. That they may be “filled with the fruit of righteousness” (11).
2. Proclamation of the Savior (12-30)
a. In Freedom or Bondage (12-14)
i. Paul’s imprisonment “really served to advance the gospel” (12-13).
ii. Paul’s imprisonment gave confidence to the brothers (14).
b. In Pretense or Truth (15-18)
i. Some of the preaching was envious, and some was “from good will” (15).
ii. Some of the preaching was out of love, and some was selfish (16-17).
iii. All of the preaching proclaimed Christ, so Paul rejoiced (18).
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c. In Life or Death (19-26)
i. Paul will be delivered and Christ will be honored (19-20).
ii. “To live is Christ, and to die is gain” (21-22).
iii. To be with Christ is far better, but to remain was more necessary (23-24).
iv. Paul’s life was for their growth and joy in Christ (25-26).
d. In Presence or Absence (27-30)
i. Be firm – worthy of the gospel and united in the faith (27).
ii. Be fearless – in the face of opposition (28).
iii. Be faithful – as you suffer and endure conflict as Paul did (29-30).
Philippians 2:1-30 “Joyous Thinking”
1. The Example of Christ (1-11)
a. The Principles for Christians (1-4)
i. “Complete my joy by being of the same mind” (1-2).
ii. “Count others more significant than yourselves (3).
iii. “Look…to the interests of others” (4).
b. The Practice of Christ (5-11)
i. His Equality with God (5-6)
ii. His Emptying of Himself (7)
iii. His Example of Obedience (8)
iv. His Exaltation – above “every other name, so that at the name of Jesus
every knee should bow…and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is
Lord, to the glory of God the Father” (9-11).
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2. The Example of the Church (12-18)
a. Sanctification (12-16)
i. “Work out your own salvation…for it is God who works in you” (12-13).
ii. “Do all things without grumbling or disputing, that you may become
blameless…, holding fast to the word of life” (14-16).
b. Sacrifice (17-18)
i. Paul was glad to be “poured out as a drink offering” on their behalf (17).
ii. He wanted them to be glad for the same reason (18).
3. The Example of Timothy (19-24)
a. His Concern – Paul desired to send Timothy to Philippi for his own
encouragement and because Timothy cared for them (19-20).
b. His Character – Instead of being self-serving, Timothy proved his worth by
serving with Paul in the gospel of Christ (21-22).
c. His Coming – Paul would send Timothy presently but desired to visit them
himself shortly (23-24).
4. The Example of Epaphroditus (25-30)
a. His Record – He was Paul’s “brother and fellow worker and fellow soldier” and
he was longing for the Philippian church (25-26).
b. His Recovery – He has previously been “ill, near to death,” but God healed him,
making Paul eager to send him (27-28).
c. His Reception – The Philippian church was to receive him and honor him because
he had risked his life for them by serving Christ (29-30).
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Philippians 3:1-21 “Joyous Purpose”
1. Paul’s Pattern – His own Testimony (1-11)
a. His Requests (1-2)
i. “Rejoice in the Lord” (1)
ii. Look out for evildoers and “those who mutilate the flesh” (2).
b. His Résumé (3-6)
i. He had more reason for confidence in the flesh than anyone (3-4).
ii. He had a rich Jewish heritage (5a).
iii. He had zealously obeyed and taught the Jewish law (5b-6).
c. His Righteousness (7-11)
i. He counted his accomplishments as loss because he knew Christ (7-8a).
ii. He suffered loss for Christ but had gained righteousness by faith (8b-9).
iii. He purposed to know Christ and to become like him (10-11).
2. Paul’s Priority – The Church’s Unity (12-21)
a. Unity in Purpose (12-14)
i. Paul pressed on to obtained resurrection through Christ (12).
ii. He pressed on to what was ahead of him (13).
iii. He pressed on to attain this prize that comes with God’s call (14).
b. Unity in Thought – As a display of Spiritual maturity (15-16).
c. Unity in Example (17-21)
i. The church was urged to follow Paul’s example (17).
ii. It was warned of the enemies of Christ whose end is destruction (18-19).
iii. It was reminded of Heaven and the coming of Christ (20-21).
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Philippians 4:1-23 “Joyous Power”
1. Exhortations for the Church (1-3)
a. General – Stand firm in the Lord (1).
b. Specific (2-3)
i. Entreating two women “to agree in the Lord” (2).
ii. Urging the church to help those who have labored with Paul (3).
2. Expectations for the Church (4-9)
a. Joy – “Rejoice in the Lord always” (4).
b. Reasonableness – Should be known to all men (5).
c. Prayerfulness – Allows the peace of God to replace anxiety (6-7).
d. Holiness – In thoughts and in actions (8-9).
3. Examinations of the Church (10-19)
a. The Gratitude of Paul (10-13)
i. His Joy – that they had begun helping to support him again (10).
ii. His Contentment – he had learned to be content with much or with little
through the strength of Christ (11-13).
b. The Generosity of the Philippians (14-19)
i. They had partnered with Paul from the beginning of his ministry (14-15).
ii. They had been fruitful with him because of their partnership (16-17).
iii. They had sent him gifts through Epaphroditus (18).
iv. They had their needs supplied by the riches of God (19).
Conclusion (20-23)
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PART 3: CONCLUSIONS TO THE BOOK
Section 1: Interesting Features of the Book of Philippians
1. Women apparently had some important roles in the church at Philippi (4:2-3).
2. At times, the church at Philippi was the only church that supported Paul financially (4:1518).
3. The words “joy” and “rejoice” are found sixteen times in the four chapters of Philippians.
Section 2: Truths to Apply from Philippians
1. God always finishes what he starts (1:6).
2. God overrules what seem to be miserable circumstances to accomplish his purposes and
bring glory to himself (1:12-18).
3. To live is Christ, and to die is gain (1:21).
4. To be with Christ is far better than remaining on the earth (1:23).
5. Jesus set the ultimate example of humility and obedience (2:5-8).
6. Everyone will one day bow before Jesus and every tongue will acknowledge that he is
Lord (2:9-11).
7. Righteousness in Christ gives us a new perspective than “righteousness” earned (3:3-11).
8. Members of a church should serve God and assist each other in unity (4:2-3).
9. Prayer gives us peace that surpasses human understanding (4:6-7).
10. God meets the needs of his people who are generous to his work (4:19).
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